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One Lie, My Death, My Lycan Mate’s Regret
Novelix
new
Completed
"At my mating ceremony with Lycan Prince Lyden, a royal decree arrives accusing him of treason. In one night, the Blackthorn Pack falls. Every male is marked for execution, while every she-wolf and pup is locked inside the Royal Dungeon, waiting to lose Pack protection and be cast out as rogues. By morning, every female inside is dead. So am I. Only after my spirit leaves my body do I learn the truth. There was never any treason. My Alpha father’s biological daughter wanted proof that everyone would choose her over me, the adopted daughter. So my family gave her exactly what she wanted. They just never expected their lie to kill us all."
Chapters (2)
Chapter 1
At my mating ceremony with Lycan Prince Lyden Cross, a royal decree arrives accusing him of treason.
In a heartbeat, my mating ceremony turns into a death sentence.
Lyden is thrown into the Royal Dungeon, and the entire Blackthorn Pack is condemned for supporting a traitor.
Every adult male will be executed.
Every she-wolf and pup will be stripped of Pack protection and cast out as rogues.
The Royal Dungeon blocks all mindlinks, so none of us can reach the males outside.
When we hear the news, my grandmother, Former Luna Helena slowly pulls the jeweled gold pin from her hair.
My mother, Luna Celeste, tears the sheets into long strips and hands them to my brothers’ mates.
“Blackthorn she-wolves would rather die than be left at the mercy of rogues.”
That night, Grandmother smashes her head against the stone wall.
Mother hangs herself.
My brothers’ mates take their young pups into the the well in the prison courtyard.
When I swallow the last dose of wolfsbane, I suddenly hear two guards talking outside the cell.
“Prince Lyden and those Blackthorn males have spoiled Pearl rotten.”
“She was afraid the Prince would still choose the daughter they raised for eighteen years. She was afraid Alpha Rowan and his sons still loved April more.”
The guard snorts.
“So she cried and demanded that they prove who mattered more.”
“And they actually faked a treason decree and locked every Blackthorn she-wolf in here just to make her happy.”
The other guard laughs.
“Prince Lyden said once April agrees to call off the mating ceremony, they’ll bring everyone home tomorrow.”
“Alpha Rowan and his sons are probably drinking at the Pack House right now, figuring out how to cheer Pearl up.”
There is no treason.
No one is being executed.
Lyden is perfectly safe.
So are my father and brothers.
They only do this to make Pearl, Alpha Rowan’s biological daughter, feel happy.
But they forget something.
Blackthorn she-wolves truly believe we have lost everything.
And now, there is not a single she-wolf left in this dungeon who can go home alive.
...
The wolfsbane works fast.
I curl up on the cold straw.
Outside the cell, the two guards are still talking.
“It was only supposed to be a show.”
“If April had agreed to call off the mating ceremony earlier, she wouldn’t have had to spend the night in here.”
I want to tell them I am not afraid of suffering one night in a dungeon.
But something hot rises in my throat.
I open my mouth and cough up a mouthful of black blood.
The guards finally notice.
“What’s wrong with her?”
One of them grabs a lamp and comes closer.
The moment he sees me through the bars, his face turns white.
“Get a healer. Now!”
The other guard grabs him.
“Why so rush?”
“April Blackthorn is stubborn. Maybe she’s just pretending.”
“Besides, Pearl gave strict orders. No matter what happens inside tonight, no one opens this door.”
“If we ruin her plan, do you think she’ll let us off?”
The guard holding the lamp hesitates.
Then he stops.
I curl tighter on the floor.
The wolfsbane tears through my stomach like blunt blades twisting inside me.
But those few sentences hurt more.
Father is not waiting to be executed.
Grandmother never has to watch her son die.
Mother does not have to lose her life.
My brothers’ mates and their pups can all live.
If someone had told us just a little earlier that this was only a show, none of them would be dead.
As my consciousness fades, I watch blood slowly spread across the mating gown I was supposed to wear when Lyden claimed me.
When I open my eyes again, I am floating above the dungeon.
My own body lies beneath me.
My eyes are closed.
A thin trail of black blood runs from the corner of my mouth.
Mother hangs from strips of torn cloth.
Before she dies, my brother, Damon’s mate gives her only gold bracelet to a guard and begs him to make sure the Blackthorn she-wolves are properly buried.
Nolan’s mate is three months pregnant.
Gavin’s mate dies with six-year-old Lila locked tightly in her arms.
Until her final breath, one hand covers Lila’s eyes so the pup will not have to see the bodies around her.
And I am the last one.
I should have died earlier.
But Grandmother saves the only lethal dose of wolfsbane for me.
She wipes the blood from my face and presses it into my palm with trembling fingers.
“April.”
“You came here dressed for your mating ceremony.”
“So you’ll leave this world in that gown.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“Grandmother will go ahead and wait for you.”
Then she braces one hand against the wall and slowly walks toward the stone pillar.
I rush forward to stop her.
Mother and my brothers’ mates hold me back.
A dull thud echoes through the dungeon.
Grandmother falls.
I have never seen so much blood.
Only a few hours ago, she is still sitting beside me, helping me choose the ceremonial crown for my mating ceremony.
She laughs and tells me that Lyden may be a Lycan Prince, but if he ever dares to hurt a Blackthorn daughter, she will march straight into the Royal Palace and demand an answer from the Lycan King himself.
Suddenly, an invisible force pulls me out of the Royal Dungeon.
I pass through the streets of the Royal Capital and cross into Blackthorn territory.
Then I am back at the Pack House.
Every window is glowing.
A feast covers the table in the main hall.
Father is there.
Damon, Nolan, and Gavin are there.
Lyden is there too.
Pearl sits in the middle of them, wearing the dress Mother had made for me.
Her eyes are still swollen from crying.
But the table in front of her is piled with food and gifts.
Damon pushes a plate toward her.
“You said you liked this.”
“I had it prepared for you.”
Nolan takes out a gemstone bracelet.
“You liked this when you saw it the other day.”
“I had someone bring it back for you.”
Gavin places a fluffy little kitten in her arms.
“Don’t be upset anymore.”
“Tomorrow, April will leave Lyden voluntarily.”
“Then all of this will be over.”
Chapter 2
I stand outside the hall and think about the past eighteen years.
I hate the cold, so Father has extra fireplaces built into my room.
I love sweet cream pastries, so Damon always brings some back whenever he travels.
Nolan teaches me to run in wolf form. When I injure my leg during training, he carries me back to the Pack healer.
Gavin argues with me more than anyone, but whenever I am punished, he secretly helps me finish my work.
They used to hold me in the center of their world.
Then, one month ago, Pearl is found.
She is Alpha Rowan Blackthorn’s biological daughter.
I was adopted.
She has spent eighteen years away from her family and suffered badly.
Father and Mother can barely sleep from guilt.
My brothers want to give her everything she missed.
So do I.
I give Pearl the room I have lived in for eighteen years.
I lay out Mother’s jewelry, the property Father gave me, and every gift my brothers brought home.
I tell her to take whatever she wants.
She takes nothing.
Instead, she looks at me with red eyes.
“You had my parents and my brothers for eighteen years.”
“Are you going to keep my mate too?”
That is when I realize Pearl wants Lyden.
On her way back to Blackthorn territory, rogues attack her.
Lyden happens to pass by with his guards and saves her.
Her clothes are torn, so he tosses her his cloak before leaving.
It means nothing to him.
Pearl never forgets it.
But my mating ceremony is already set.
Lyden takes my hand in front of the entire Blackthorn family.
“I saved you because you are April’s sister.”
“April is my mate.”
“She is the only she-wolf I will claim.”
Pearl faints on the spot.
When she wakes, she refuses food and cuts her wrist.
Mother stays beside her bed crying all night.
Father and my brothers take turns trying to calm her.
Pearl only repeats one thing.
“As long as April is here, I’ll always be the extra daughter.”
After that, everyone starts asking me to give in.
Father sighs.
“We’re only trying to calm her down.”
“Once she feels secure, everything will go back to normal.”
My brothers say the same thing.
“You’ve always been the sensible one.”
“Pearl isn’t like you. If we push her too hard, she might really hurt herself.”
Even Lyden goes quiet.
They all tell me it is temporary.
Once Pearl understands that no one will abandon her, everything will be fine.
And now, they are still saying the same thing.
Pearl holds the kitten Gavin gave her and asks softly,
“What if April refuses to leave you?”
Lyden tightens his grip on his glass.
“She won’t.”
“April cares too much about her family.”
“She thinks the Blackthorn Pack is suffering because of her. She’ll call off the mating ceremony before she lets them suffer.”
Tears fill Pearl’s eyes.
“Are you blaming me?”
“Will April always matter more to you than I do?”
Lyden is silent for a long time.
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you still can’t let her go!”
Pearl jumps to her feet, crying.
“If none of you can let her go, why are you even trying to comfort me?”
“When she comes back tomorrow, all your attention will go back to her again.”
“Father will feel sorry she spent a night in the dungeon.”
“Mother will hold her and cry.”
“My brothers will blame me.”
“And sooner or later, you’ll claim her!”
Father puts down his fork.
“No.”
“Pearl, we gave you our word.”
Damon speaks gently.
“After April leaves Lyden, we’ll send her to one of our estates for a while.”
“She can come back when you’re ready.”
Nolan frowns.
“April has always cared about you.”
“She gave you everything you wanted.”
Pearl knocks her cup off the table.
It shatters on the floor.
“She only did that because she looks down on me!”
“She thinks she can throw a few expensive things at me and I should be grateful?”
The room goes silent again.
Gavin sighs.
“Fine.”
“We won’t talk about her.”
“Tonight is for you. Stop crying.”
Lyden takes a gold pendant from his neck and places it in front of Pearl.
I recognize it immediately.
The royal crest is carved into it.
The late Lycan King gave it to him, and Lyden never takes it off.
“I promise you.”
“After April calls off our mating ceremony, I won’t take her back for a year.”
“And if you still can’t accept it after that…”
He pauses.
“Then I’ll let her go for good.”
“She can choose another wolf as her mate.”
Father changes the subject.
“Everything at the Royal Dungeon is arranged?”
Damon nods.
“I sent three thousand gold coins.”
“The cell was cleaned. There are blankets, braziers, and hot water.”
“One of the guards tonight is someone I know. Grandmother and the others won’t suffer.”
Nolan adds,
“Mother is weak, so I arranged for a healer to wait outside.”
“We’ll bring everyone home tomorrow morning.”
Father relaxes.
“Good.”
“Your grandmother has always been forgiving. When she learns the truth, she’ll probably yell at us.”
“Your mother is kind too. She knows how much we owe Pearl. She’ll understand.”
Gavin smiles.
“My mate won’t stay angry either.”
“Lila might cry, though.”
“I’ll buy her a box of candy tomorrow. That’ll cheer her up.”
They have even decided who will pick up whom.
Father will bring Grandmother home.
My brothers will each comfort their mates and pups.
Lyden will take me away himself.
He has prepared a private house outside the Royal Capital.
The garden is filled with my favorite flowers.
He plans to stay there with me until I stop being angry.
Every one of them believes that when the sun rises tomorrow, everything will go back to normal.
My spirit stands frozen outside the hall.
All I feel is sadness.
None of them know the three thousand gold coins never reached the Royal Dungeon.
The servant Damon trusted was bought by Pearl.
There are no blankets.
No braziers.
No hot water.
No healer.
Pearl takes the money too.
Then she uses it to hire three rogue males.
She orders them to ruin me so completely that Lyden will never want me again.
